I was emailed about the possibility of giving feedback on a light by Sue from a company called “77 Outdoor” which is a company supported by Sofirn. To be transparent, I was refunded the cost of the light in exchange for feedback, good or bad. I’ll do that here as honestly as I can.
The light is available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J52P1WS?ref=myi_title_dp
The plastic body of the light measures 6 3/4”x 4 7/8”x1 7/8” and has a kickstand/handle to allow it to be set on a surface at several angles to give you extra illumination. It seems durable enough with the extra material on the corner bumpers, but I’m not sure about how waterproof it might be. The battery door doesn’t have any kind of o-ring although the USB cover does provide a thin o-ring to keep water out of the ports.
The front has two 1” wide COB LEDs under aspheric lenses. The side has a rather small LED in a smooth reflector housing and you can find the switch, power level indicators, micro usb and USB sockets under a clear plastic cover.
The light can be used for a variety of tasks. I used it in my woodworking shop to give extra light while planing, sanding and finishing. I liked how the light could be set up at different angles so suit the job. With a low angle, I could easily spot sections that needed more work as the raking light going across the wood shows off scratches, tearout or other blemishes easily. It gives off a coolish tint (cooler than my Sofirn SP36 anyway) with a flood pattern like my Brinyte B158 or other aspheric lights. It has two levels of brightness and I mainly used the brighter of the two. I’ve no way to measure the lumen output and it was hard to gauge the brightness compared with other lights due to the different beam patterns. I’d say that it could be used for roadside work or warning if your car breaks down. In addition to the two light levels, it has a strobe feature that is quick and will make oncoming traffic take notice but I think it’s too fast and is distracting. There is a small LED on the side that puts out a more throwy beam with a very small hotspot. I didn’t like this feature much, but maybe I’m just spoiled by all of my other lights. Car or campsite camping trips would be a good spot to use this light. Easy for everyone to use and able to flood a nice size area if needed.
I was very pleased to see that this light came with a pair of Sofirn 2200mAh 18650 batteries. While they don’t have the capacity of other 18650 batteries out there, it was nice to have them included in the price. I’ve used several Sofirn batteries in my lights and they’ve performed just fine. If you’re in a pinch, you can alternately use a trio of AA batteries. Nice feature for real-world situations! The back of the light shows clearly how much life you have left in your cells. Nice feature that won’t catch you off guard. It came with a micro USB cable in a nice cardboard box but without any documentation or instruction manual giving specifics on the charging features. From what I gather in the ad copy on Amazon and from the pictures and print on the box, you can use the light as a power bank to recharge your phone, which is what I actually had to do last night when the power went out due to high winds. It took a while to perform, but it steadily pumped more percentages into my phone.
The UI isn’t the greatest. Hit the switch once to turn on the side LED. Hit it again for High. Once again for Low. Once more for Strobe and then one last time to turn it off. You can’t skip the strobe which is a pain, but perhaps in an emergency, 77 Outdoor wanted to make sure that the strobe isn’t hidden. Maybe it’s because it’s easier to program. I’m not sure, but I don’t care for the strobe feature always being present when I want to shut the light off.
Overall, I think this light could see a lot of use in a workshop, basement, in the car for emergencies or for camping. Being adjustable, it is much better than a flashlight that you’re gripping in your teeth or precariously setting down on a work surface, hoping it won’t roll away. It’s simple to use, has the power bank function and comes with 18650 cells. Nice deal for the price, I’d say. It may not wow a lot of die-hard flashaholics, but it could be a good buy for someone who knows the risks of using li-ion cells, or they could use it with AA batteries for an extra layer of safety. No need for a separate charger, as you can use the USB port. I’d like a bit more information about the charging capabilities and specs and other safety features too. I’ve no idea if it has low voltage protection or what might happen if the cells were put in backwards though.
I’m not such a fan of the UI, not sure about waterproofness of the battery compartment and the tint is on the cooler side (which may or may not appeal to you), but overall I’m happy with it. It already came in handy for some of my projects and when the power went out. I’d like to see more from 77 Outdoor in the future, especially since they’re connected with Sofirn, which has proven to be a solid budget light company. (I have 6 of their lights already!). Thanks to Sue for offering this light for feedback.
